🖋️ Letter from the Editor
As published in The Daily Tremor, Vol. I
Intercepted by Field Correspondent (Declassified under protest).
Dearest Gentle Reader,
It began with an unwanted handshake—a sound file that shouldn’t exist, a transmission decoded not by software but by soul.
Someone, possibly you, activated Level Zero.
You may tell yourself this is just a game, clever and contained. Half-right.
This is a story… but the rules are broken.
The author? Elusive. Mythological, perhaps.
The syndicate she fights? Older than any diagnosis. The NERO SANGUE. They bleed into every shadow.
Yet, not all systems are theirs to own. You—yes, you, reader—have already made your first move simply by arriving.
But beware: the walls shift, the streets contort, and bureaucrats in Levi’s aim to erase your existence with pencil strokes.
Corners steepen, gardens crumble, old blood whispers behind shutters, and leaning balconies sigh with neglected history.
Somewhere beneath the cemented steps of Amalfi, a spark grows. A rebellion in the bones. Shadows tremble at its presence, even as they tighten.
Press Play to Enter: the dream dissolves, the choices begin—walk carefully, question every promise, watch where the light fractures.
Remember: not all arrows are seen, not all heroes carry swords. Some fight with stories, with spells, with the sheer refusal to disappear.
Welcome to the game. You’re already in it.
Until the next ripple—
– The Editor
(Codename: Featherdrop // Division: Ink & Intrigue)
Amalfi Rising: A Story Game of Secrets, Symptoms, and Survival
The Game Begins…
Audio Activated.
You awaken to the scent of salt and lemons, the distant murmur of waves crashing against the cliffs…
Amalfi stretches before you, golden in the morning light—ancient stairways, winding alleys, balconies overflowing with bougainvillaea. But the town is shifting beneath your feet.
Roads you once walked with ease now feel impossibly steep.
Walls rise where none should be.
Bureaucrats in Levi’s jeans argue over policies that erase your existence with the stroke of a pen.
Your garden – all but destroyed. Paved over in the name of progress.
The stone steps worn smooth by centuries – cemented.
Old families whisper in back rooms, their power untouched by time, while the streets flood with tourists who see only postcards, not history.
Somewhere beneath the cement and corruption, something stirs. A secret buried in Amalfi’s past. A truth they don’t want you to find.
But first—you need to move.
Your body resists, but your mind is sharp.
Every step is a choice.
Every obstacle is a puzzle.
Navigate the chaos.
Find your own path.
Meet The Nero Sangue—The Shadows That Rule Amalfi
They don’t announce themselves. They don’t need to.
In Amalfi, their presence is felt like a chill in the spine – always there, always watching.
An eery, ancient syndicate rooted deeper than the lemon groves and older than the sea walls, the Nero Sangue move in silence, but their influence screams through every deal, every detour, every sleepless night.
And their weapons? Not guns. Not knives. They deal in whispers, weariness, and self-doubt—crafted to perfection, made just for you.
Meet the ones who keep you stuck:
Don Angoscia (The Strangler)
The patriarch of the Nero Sangue, his influence hangs over Amalfi like a storm cloud. Don Angoscia rules through Fear & Over-catastrophising. He convinces you that disaster lurks around every corner. Under his command, you’re always preparing for the worst, anticipating collapse, unable to enjoy the present moment.
Capo Vizio (The Vice Lord)
The peddler of Poor Habits & Unhealthy Living, he offers easy comforts—food that dulls the mind, drinks that steal the morning, distractions that pull you away from healing. A master of indulgence, Capo Vizio offers escapes that become prisons. His traps are gilded, comfortable, and nearly impossible to escape.
Silvio “Il Fantasma” Veloce (The Ghost)
A master of deception, Silvio blends seamlessly into any crowd, always adapting, always wearing a mask. He’s the one who convinces you Hiding Your True Self is the only way to survive. Under his influence, you smile when you’re crumbling, agree when you want to scream, perform at the cost of your own identity.
Bruno “Il Mulo” Sforza (Overworking)
The taskmaster. The relentless force. Bruno drives you to exhaustion, convincing you that stopping is not an option. He keeps you pushing, Working, Over-Performing – until there’s nothing left of you but burnout. He instills within you that your only value lies in how long and how hard you work.
Bruto Sforzo (The Iron Fist)
The enforcer who demands you push through pain. Bruto’s mantra is simple: ignore what your body is telling you. Just one more rep. Just one more hour. Just one more day. He convinces you that Rest Is Weakness, that Limits Are illusions, and that your body is a machine to be conquered rather than a home to be respected.
Dottoressa Ignoranza (The Blind Doctor)
The syndicate’s medical expert whose power comes from dismissal. She convinces you that your Symptoms are Imaginary, that your pain is exaggerated, that your struggles are merely Attention-Seeking. Under her care, you doubt your own experiences and believe that perhaps you really are making it all up.
Sorella Insonnia (The Sleepless Sister)
Sorella, the night watcher, lures you in with the glow of late-night scrolling. Just as you lay your head down, she fills your mind with racing thoughts – replaying every mistake, every worry, every imagined future – until sleep is lost. You wake in a fog of Sleep Deprivation, your defences weakened.
Il Sussurro (The Whisperer)
He doesn’t shout. He doesn’t need to. His whispers are velvet-lined with certainty, echoing louder than any scream. He tells you that you are pathetic, your efforts pointless. That everyone else has it figured out but you. Soft-spoken, his voice creates Imposter Syndrome that seeps into your soul like poison.
